What’s Priceless to You?

My son came to visit for a week.

He lives about 1500 miles away on the Gulf Coast of Florida. And it’s been a year since he has been home.

I was giddy with anticipation. 

Exhilarated!

Remember those Mastercard commercials that ran for many years? Dinner $50. Movie tickets $20. Time with your kid: Priceless.

It got me thinking about what is priceless in my life.

What would be on your list?

Some important relationships, of course. Time with close friends, special moments with family, deep connections with a spouse or partner. What relationships do you consider most precious to you?

Certainly, my son is on that list. Some of my best friends. My partner. 

I met a woman this week who calls her guy “My Forever Man.” I loved that title so much! I am going to start calling my partner that. The title symbolizes so much endearment. 

What relationships are on your priceless list? 

And beyond relationships, what experiences might you add to your priceless list?

For me, trips My Forever Man and I have taken would be on this list. South Africa. The Galapagos. Machu Picchu. Alaska. 

And girls’ trips I have taken with colleagues.

But a priceless list doesn’t have to be about travel or about expensive things. Simple pleasures fall on this list for me too: Every time I have gone whale watching. Going to the movies with my son. Spending time with my parents as they neared the end of their lives. Laughing around the dinner table with my nieces and nephews. 

Or sitting by the fire pit with my Forever Man or friends and watching the flames dancing for hours. Going to a great brewery for IPAs. Sitting in my red comfy chair with a great book. Hanging with friends on the deck after some excellent tennis.

Clearly, what is most priceless to me is often when I am sitting still.

Let’s consider the other list, though. 

What would go on your “This Has a Price Tag” list?

Clearly, everything you need to buy to sustain yourself and your family: Food, shelter, clothing, services, transportation, and more.

But what else carries a price tag for you? Do you spend time with people who drain you, people who are negative draws on your energy or resources?

How about time you spend worrying? 

Time you spend under stress has a price tag.

Perhaps time spent gossiping about others.

Or time scrolling social media. 

We all have had negative or sad experiences that we would never ask for—those carry a price tag too. 

Time in situations where we remain silent and don’t use our authentic voice.

It’s important to know what’s on this second list. And sometimes things on your “This Has a Price Tag” list doesn’t seem to be costly at first. For example, we may spend too much time in front of the T.V. Or time spent with alcohol or other substances we consume that aren’t good for us and that ultimately take away from our health or sense of peace. 

Those things can have price tags too.

Once you have completed both your “Priceless” and “This Has a Price tag” lists, you can compare them. Which list is longer? Which list is more compelling to you? Which list might you add to or subtract from?

If your price tag list is longer, you can ask, “What else might I add to my priceless list?” What brings me the most joy? What feeds me? What energizes me? What small experiences help me feel fuller and more connected to myself and others?

You can also use these lists as a yardstick when you buy new things or when you commit to new activities. You can ask yourself, “Does this support something on my priceless list? Or does this thing belong on my “This Has a Price Tag” list?

And sometimes, something we thought was on our priceless list over time moves to the Price Tag list.

Things can evolve and change over time.

Ultimately, most of us know right off the bat what is most priceless to us. Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, wrote, “In my life I have found two things of priceless worth—learning and loving. Nothing else—not fame, not power, not achievement for its own sake—can possible have the same lasting value. For when your life is over, if you can say ‘I have learned’ and ‘I have loved,’ you will also be able to say, ‘I have been happy.’”

I hope your priceless list is long and enduring, my friends.

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